The Government has placed economic diplomacy at the centre of its export-led growth agenda, using the Made-in-Ghana Bazaar as a platform to link local producers with global markets and reposition the country’s economy away from heavy import dependence.
Speaking at the opening of the fourth edition of the Bazaar at the Accra International Conference Centre, Mr. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Minister of Foreign Affairs, said the fair had become an institutionalised tool for promoting Ghanaian products abroad. He announced that for the first time, Ghana’s Heads of Mission would be assessed based on how actively they use and promote local products in their duty stations, under new Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
“The Bazaar is relevant and appropriate, especially in a period where protectionism and tariff regimes are forcing countries to rethink their priorities. Ghana cannot be left behind,” Mr. Ablakwa stressed in remarks delivered on his behalf by his deputy, Mr. James Gyakye Quayson.
He outlined government’s industrialisation policies—including the Rapid Industrialisation for Jobs Initiative, the Women in Trade and Agribusiness Programme, and the Accelerated Export Development Programme (AEDAC)—as key pillars supporting the export drive. These, he said, were designed to revive industries, empower women, create jobs, and diversify the economy.
Mr. Julius Debrah, Chief of Staff, emphasised that the Bazaar was not a symbolic exercise but a deliberate step in President John Dramani Mahama’s Accelerated Export Development Drive, a bold policy aimed at reducing reliance on imports. He urged Ghana’s diplomatic corps to act as frontline promoters of local products, saying even a single item, if pushed abroad with a strong cultural narrative, could open doors to wider markets.
“Even if it is only Ghanaian chocolate, let it be your mission that someone in your host country tastes it and imports it. That alone will make you a very successful envoy of Ghana,” Mr. Debrah said.
This year’s event, held under the theme “Championing Economic Diplomacy: Connecting Producers, Markets, and Opportunities,” showcased Ghanaian products including cocoa derivatives, textiles, shea butter, handicrafts, and processed foods.
Mr. Ablakwa revealed that Ghana’s missions abroad, in partnership with the Ghana Export-Import Bank (GEXIM), had already established Made-in-Ghana Corners in 12 Missions, with plans to expand into full-scale permanent shops in the near future.
According to market intelligence gathered by the Missions, demand is growing for palm oil, cashew, cocoa products, shea butter, textiles, beverages, and cosmetics, alongside industrial tools from companies such as Kasapreko, Joy Industries, GIHOC Distilleries, and Crocodile Machetes Ghana.
With the AfCFTA Secretariat located in Accra, the government believes Ghanaian producers are strategically positioned to scale up exports and take advantage of continental and global value chains.
“This situation where almost everything we use is imported will not take us anywhere,” Mr. Debrah said, calling for stronger collaboration between trade, agribusiness, industry, and foreign affairs to make Ghanaian products globally competitive.
